August 31, 2012
PVCC & YMCA Announce Agreement for Child-Care Services
Charlottesville, VA - Piedmont Virginia Community College and Piedmont Family YMCA announced an agreement today in which the YMCA will provide discounted full-time preschool care and after-hours child care for PVCC employees and students who attend classes on the College's main campus and off-campus locations.
The child care will be available at the renovated Jefferson School, 233 Fourth Street NW, in downtown Charlottesville, where both PVCC and the YMCA will be tenants when the renovated facility opens later this year as the Jefferson School City Center (JSCC).
"Offering our students and employees affordable child-care services has been a strategic priority at PVCC for some time," commented PVCC President Frank Friedman. "Access to reasonably priced child care can mean the difference between completing a college degree or certificate or not attending college. That access barrier is now removed, and we couldn't be more pleased to be removing it through a partnership with the YMCA."
Denny Blank, CEO of the Piedmont Family YMCA, added: "We are delighted to be able to work with PVCC, our neighbors both in the community and at the Jefferson School, to provide collaborative child-care services for students and employees alike. We have long enjoyed an outstanding working relationship with PVCC, and look forward to working with them under this new arrangement, which we feel benefits both institutions."
According to its Web site, the YMCA is the nation's largest provider of child care. Its programs focus on character education. PVCC child-care services through the YMCA's new Intergenerational Child Care Program are slated to begin Monday, Dec. 3. The new YMCA facility at the JSCC includes five classrooms and indoor and outdoor play areas.
Full-time care for children of PVCC students and employees will be available from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday for children ages 6 weeks through prekindergarten. PVCC students and employees will receive a 20 percent discount on rates. The College has reserved 20 slots.
Students and employees also will have access to an hourly Child Watch Program for children ages 3 to 11 during evening hours of 6 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday, which coincides with evening classes at PVCC. Saturday hours may become available as needed. The PVCC discounted cost is $5 hourly per child - a savings of $3 an hour. Up to 90 children per hour could be accommodated during the evening Child Watch. At least 10 children per hour must be registered for services to be offered. The College may underwrite the cost of unreserved slots in order to ensure availability of services.
For full-time care services, children of PVCC students and employees must be registered with the YMCA no later than Dec. 15 for the College's spring semester, which begins Jan. 14, 2013. For hourly Child Watch services, children must be registered at least one week before PVCC spring classes begin.
Deadlines pertaining to the fall 2013 semester will be announced at a later time.
YMCA child-care application forms and more information are available by calling 434.974.9622 or visiting piedmontymca.org and selecting "The Y at Jefferson."
